AM4 with more PCIe slots?

[Optimoos]

I'm trying to build a workstation machine which is going to require multiple PCIe X4 cards. I've searched what feels like high and low and have been unable to find any AM4 motherboards with anything more than 3 X16 slots. Do any AM4 boards exist with less (or even no) X16 but 4-6 X4 slots? Am I relegated to finding a riser/splitter to do this task? If so, does anyone have recommendations on a riser or splitter, and furthermore a good tower case to install it all in?

[Crunchy Dragon]

You can still install x4 cards into x16 slots, and they will all run at x4.

 

How many expansion cards are you looking at?

[Optimoos]

Looking at potentially 4-6 cards, as I initially mentioned. While there are plenty of motherboards with 3x X16, which I understand I can install X4 cards into, additional slots beyond that on any motherboard I've seen have been X1, and therefor pretty useless for my purposes.

[DrMacintosh]

Are tehre eATX Ryzen boards? Ryzen chips only have 16 PCIe lanes keep in mind. 

[Eastman51]

You could get x16 to multiple x4 riser cards, you could also get daughterboards (Linus did this for one of their crazy VM projects), or also get x1 to x4 adapter cards. 

5 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

Ryzen chips only have 16 PCIe lanes keep in mind. 

Good point. Threadripper might be a better choice, if merely for the PCIe lanes. The extra cores could also aid in workstation tasks. 1st gen Threadripper would be an ok choice if you're on a budget (the 1900x is about $300 USD, it has 8 cores/16threads, and 64 PCIe lanes).

[GoldenLag]

look at getting expansion cards or stepping up to TR4.......

 

 

you will more or less need both anyway. 

[Optimoos]

Yeah, Threadripper might be the better route. The ASUS ROG Strix X399 has 4 X16 and 1 X4 slot. Of course no integrated graphics means giving one of those up to video.

 

What's the PCIe lane situation in Intel land? Should I be investigating that route instead?

[Emanbaird]

https://www.asrock.com/MB/AMD/X370 Pro BTC+/index.us.asp

For all your PCIE needs 

[GoldenLag]

4 minutes ago, Optimoos said:

What's the PCIe lane situation in Intel land? Should I be investigating that route instead?

on the consumer plattform?

 

its more or less a similar situation. 

 

remember that you can get expansion cards to split up the 16x slots into 4 4x or 2 8x. 

[Optimoos]

2 minutes ago, GoldenLag said:

remember that you can get expansion cards to split up the 16x slots into 4 4x or 2 8x. 

Yeah, then it's just figuring out a case to make that work in.

[Optimoos]

7 minutes ago, Emanbaird said:

https://www.asrock.com/MB/AMD/X370 Pro BTC+/index.us.asp

For all your PCIE needs 

Hah, amazing! That's probably overkill for what I need but I'll definitely keep it in mind, thanks for pointing that one out.

[GoldenLag]

1 minute ago, Optimoos said:

Yeah, then it's just figuring out a case to make that work in.

if you use risers you only really need a regular case. im assuming a lot of the cards are 1 slot. using risers you can move em side by side. 

2 minutes ago, Optimoos said:

Hah, amazing! That's probably overkill for what I need but I'll definitely keep it in mind, thanks for pointing that one out.

issues. its only a single dim slot. also good luck finding a case for that. 

[Optimoos]

4 minutes ago, GoldenLag said:

if you use risers you only really need a regular case. im assuming a lot of the cards are 1 slot. using risers you can move em side by side. 

 

Alright, I'll keep that in mind, thanks again.

4 minutes ago, GoldenLag said:

issues. its only a single dim slot. also good luck finding a case for that. 

Good point, that makes in unsuitable. Too bad, although you're right about the case problem there too.